Incidents in the life of a slave girl.: Written by herself. Edited by L. Maria Child.

i5o Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
XVIII.
MONTHS OF PERIL.
THE search for me was kept up with more perseverence than I had anticipated. I began to think that
escape was impossible. I was in great anxiety lest I
should implicate the friend who harbored me. I knew
the consequences would be frightful; and much as I
dreaded being caught, even that seemed better than
causing an innocent person to suffer for kindness to me.
A week had passed in terrible suspense, when my pursuers caine into such close vicinity that I concluded
they had tracked me to my hiding-place. I flew out
of the house, and concealed myself in a thicket of
bushes. There I remained in all agony of fear for two
hours. Suddenly, a reptile of some kind seized my
leg. In my fright, I struck a blow which loosened its
hold, but I could not tell whether I hlad killed it; it
was so dark, I could not see what it was; I only knew
it was something cold and slimy. The pain I felt soon
indicated that the bite was poisonous. I was compelled
to leave my place of concealment, and I groped my way
back into the house. The pain had become intense.,
and my friend was startled by my look of anguish. I
asked her to prepare a poultice of warm ashes and
vinegar, and I applied it to my leg, which was already
much swollen. The application gave me some relief,
but the swelling did not abate. The dread of being
disabled was greater than the physical pain I endured.